If
you are looking for a good general history of the Knights Templar, this is
it. Drawing from extensive amounts of research material in 1842 when he
wrote this work, Charles Addison takes us beyond the dry facts and into the
lifestyle of the Templars. He does this by describing the surrounding
societies, as well as including numerous episodes involving the Templars
themselves. Part of his motivation for doing this research was that he was a
barrister or lawyer at Inner Temple in London, which had been the main residence
of the Templars in that city.

The
best way to see what this book is about is to read an interesting piece of
it. So I am providing a link to Addison's factual and intriguing account of
King Richard the Lionheart arriving in the Holy Land and beginning his
exploits with the Knights Templar. It was written based on accounts recorded
by people who accompanied King Richard on these adventures, so the details are
rich and colorful, giving a real feel for the events that happened. Read the
excerpt on Richard
the Lionheart here.